1-2-3’s of Using Reputation Management to Stand Out in the Remodeling Industry

(Reprinted with permission from the author; original article posted here.)

As a company working in the home remodeling industry, you know that your potential clients are looking for something to make their home stand out. Likewise, this translates to their search for a remodeler—which begs the question— are you standing out from your sea of competitors?

Competition is fierce in a world where the slightest negative review can deter customers, but by implementing a reputation management program you can take control of one of the most influential factors for consumers—your reviews. We’ve put together the no-brainer, 1-2-3’s of how reputation management can help you stand out from the crowd.

1. Cultivate Your Own Reputation

An amazing 85% of consumers report they read up to 10 reviews before making a purchasing decision. That means that they are forming an idea about the quality of your services before even making an effort to contact you. One of the strongest value points of on-site reviews is that it allows you to develop this opinion yourself. By managing your online reputation, you’re helping your potential leads see the value of your services over your competitors.

2. Search Engine Mastery

Another way on-site reviews can help differentiate you from others in the industry is through integration with search engines through reputation management software. A professional reviews tool will automatically sync the reviews you choose to display on your website with search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo! When entering relevant search terms, the search engines pull these reviews and recognize them as a source of authority. This increases your rankings and in turn, your visibility to customers.

3. Catching the Eye

Have searched on Google for a service lately? You’ll quickly find that some companies have an aggregated review rating attached to their listing while others don’t. The ones that do (unsurprisingly) are using reviews management software that allows search engines to display a combined rating. In this case, the aggregate rating is displayed in gold stars. While it may seem arbitrary at first glance, having stars is a visual “hey you!” at your customers, immediately drawing the eye to this listing. If you don’t have stars, your competitors probably do.

Remodelers know the way something looks can be the difference between a happy customer and an angry one. With so much importance placed on the way we present ourselves, wouldn’t you want to be in control? Reviews management is a surefire solution to cultivating the reputation you want your potential customers to see.

About the author: Ty King is President & CEO of Spectrum, a premier digital lead generation and software company and a NARI National Member. For more information, visit http://www.spectruminc.com